Knitting-machine.



F. POPE & E. E. RANDALL.

KNITTING MACHINE.' APPLICATION FILED MR. 28, 1912.

1,095,946, 1 Patentea'may 19, 1914.

lun

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANKIPOPE AND EDISON E. RANDALL, F KANKAKEE, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNORS TO PARAMOUNT KNITTING COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

KNITTING-MACHINE.

Specification of LettersPatent.

Patented May 19, 1914.

- To all whom lit muy concern Be it known that we, FRANK Porn and EDISON E. RANDALL,- citizens of the United States, and residents of Kankakee, county of Kankakee, State of Illinois, have invented anlmprovement in'Knitting-Machines, of which .the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawing, is a specification, like characters on the drawing representing like parts.

This invention relates to a knitting machine and particularly to the needle and the means for operating it. The needle is of the type in which'the hook member and latch member are se ara'te members, that is physically indepenentand separate from each other, although lcoacting to perform the required looping functions.

This invention presents aA machine embodying this type of needle in which the accurate and desired operation of the needle members is secured at all times.

This invention enables a very tine class: of' ribbed work to be done. In ribbed knit ting, as for example, in the knitting of stock ings, the dial needles are supported in a circular course inside ofthe circular path of the cylinder` needles. Hence the number of dial needles which can be employed is limited', one of the main limitations being that fixed .by the length of theneedle and necessary to enable it to perform its looping function.

By the. present invention the movement of the needle necessary to perform the looping function is brought to a minimum and the needle is brought to a minimum length so that a very much larger number ofeneedles may be used in the dial of a rib knitting machine, thus enabling liner workto be performed.

Amon the features of the invention by which t e desired results are secured are means for frictionally cont-rolling the movement of the latch member, the set-back given to the hook of the hook member, and the shape of the face of the hook member, whereby tucking is prevented.

This and other features of the invention will appear more fully from the accompanying description and drawing and will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

The drawings represent; so much of a knitting machine as is necessary to a disclosure of this invention.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a central vertlcal cross' section of a portion of a needle cylinder and dial of an vordinary t-ype of knit-ting machine. Fig. 2 is a View similar to a portion of Fig. 1 showing the parts in diil'erent position. Fig. 3 is a top plan View of the needle and a portion of the dial bed in which it slides. Fig. 4 is a Side View enlarged of the latch member of the needle. Fig. 5 is a plan View thereof. Fig. 6 is a side View of the hook member of a` needle of extremely short length, showing the set back exaggerated. y

The needle cylinder in which the vertical needles are mounted and operated is indicated at 1,-the stud upon 4which the dial is mounted at 2, the dial bed at 3, and the cam for operating the dial needles at 4. lVeb holders are also indicated as mountedv in the cylinder at 5.

Both the cylinder and dialv needles may and preferably should be of the construction of this invention, but for reasons already set forth it is most desirable that the dial ncedlesbe so constructed. The description following will relate only to the dial needles and its applicability to the cylinder needles will be apparent without further explanation.

The needle comprises two parts, ahook member 6, and a latch member 7, thelatter being shown separately in Figs. 4 and 5. The hook member has a generally similar 4form to the corresponding member of the ordinary pivoted latch needle, that is to say in so farms it comprises the hook 8, shank, and the butt 90. The shank and butt may be of varying length and shape as in t-he case of the pivoted llatch needle. In the case of'this invention, however, where it is desired to perform fine work and place the maximum number of needles in the dial,.the shank need not project beyond the butt and the butt may be brought close up toward the hook end, or in fact close up to the 'slot in the hook member through which the latch member operates, thus making an extremely short needle having a minimum throw. The

' hook member of such a needle is shown in Fig. 6. The hook member is slotted at 10 near its outer or hook' end at about the position of the usual slot of a pivoted latch needle, and this slot is preferably made 'in the form of Aa saw kerf entering the hook' member from the front or face, sothat the ,end walls of theslot-ccnverge toward the back of the hook member and present at the rear surface shoulders 11 and l12. The hool ofthe hook member.' This latch member is shown separatelyenlarged in Figs. 4 and 5, and comprises a head 14 and a tail 15. A separate longitudinal auxiliary groove 16 is formed in the'bed such as the dialbed 3 beneath andA centrally of groove 13'so that the groove'13 may be said to be superimposed l' upon the groove 16. `The latch member is provided with cam surfaces 17 and 18 cooperating respectively with the shoulder 11 and the shoulder 9 formed at the upper edge of the forward wall of the slot'lO. The

latch member is also provided with 'shouly ders 20 and 21 contacting respectively atv the required times with thev shoulders 1.1 and l2 of the hook member. The latch member is bent transversely in its tail as is clearly' seen in Fig. 5 so that when -it is laced in its slot 16` 1n the body it will be eldfrictionally therein and will be prevented from movement longitudinally except when it isp0sitively moved by. movement of the hook member.A This'insures the accurate operation of the needle.

The cam surfaces 17 and 18 of the latch member are so shapedand the distance between theshoulders 20 and 21- as compared with the distance between the shoulders 11 and 12 ofthe hook member is such that the4 movement ofthe hook member longitudinally under the control of its operating cam results `in the required movements of the needle members to secure theA proper handlingof the yarn.y

` iThe hook end lof thel needlelis setback lthat is bodily bent or termedl back of the generalv back surface vof the shank of the hook member. I This increases the'slope of the inclined surface 22 leading' from the front surface of thel hookjnember, into the hook-throat and causes the yarn to'slide more readilv and surely into the hook throat as the needle retracts, and insures against thel'point 25 of thelatch member sliding be? neath the yarn-as the hook member is re-A tracted.

'The hook member is provided with a holr low or recess at 23 on its lface adjacent the incline 22, and the latch member is provided withV a similar hollow, or recess 24 so that when the needle is in its outward position the yarn will be positioned `by `this recess and the danger of undesired tucking prevented. f

The cam surface 1.8 of the latch .member is so formed that when. the hook member is in itsretracted position with respect to the latch memberl the point 25 will be slightly above the hook 8. This obviates the continual. tapping of the latch against the hook which is essential inl a pivoted latch needle and leads to the crystallization of the metal and the deterioration of that type of needle. The operation will be'apparent frormthe foregoing description. The needle is shown in its forward position in Fi-g. 2. While inv this position the yarn is fed into-the hook 8 of the. hoolg member; the cam 4 then retracts the hoolrmemben the latch member being l held against longitudinal movement by its frictional engagement with the walls of the slot 16; during the retraction of the hook member the shoulder 12 contacts with lthe cam surface 18 and the latch.member thus moves into theposition shown in Fig. 1 inclosing the' yarn in the hook, which slides readily down the steep incline 22 owing to the set back referred to; upon the continued retraction` of the'hook member the shoulder 21 causes -the latch member to be retracted,

' its frictional resistance with the walls of its slot 1'6 being overcome.: yVlhen the hookl member is again moved `forvcfardly by its cam the loop just formed lslides into the recess l23 and the latch is left inretracted 'position until the shoulderv 11- contacts with into outward .position 'with the latch head below 'the fa'ceof the needle member Aand with the recesses 24 and v.23m coincidence,

theshoul'der 20 as shown in Fig. 2 and the 'hook and latch members then move together the shoulder 11 during the first portion of the forward movement of the hook member acting to cam downthe latch member into this position On the next movement of the Aneedle-backward -after fresh4l yarn is fed to the hook, the recess 23 insures the last formed loop and the freshly fed yarn being held i Aapart s'o that the point of the latch may pass i I It will thus' be'seen thatthe operation .of

between.

the needle members is positive and that the longitudinal movement of the Ineedle necessaryto takeand cast 0H the loops of yarn isvery vmuch-less than in the ,case of thepivoted latch needle, thusenabling a needle op=v erating cam of iatter angle tobe used, and" consequently diminish the litfear and strain upon the needle butt. The action of the `the cam surfaces and the shoulders on the latch member tomove the latter positively into and out ofzcoperative Iposition. The

. frictional engagement ofthe latch member with its slot prevents any other than the 'required movement-ofLA 'the latch member.

i Having fully(y frlescribed our invention, what We clanmas'new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

- 1. Inra knittin rising a longitu inally slotted hook memer, a separate latch member rovided With a head and havin relative bo ily movement to carry the'hea tion of said ho'ok member to cover and uncover said hook, V'the hook member having an inclined surface leading from its front surface into the hook throat and having the hook end set back from the rear surface of the hook member, whereby the arn will slide more readily into the hook t roat and the point of the latch head Will be insured against sliding beneath the yarn as the nee* machine, a needle com? throughl the slotted pordle retracts, and means independent of the i hook member and located at the rear of the hook# member opposite the hook face for creatm'gfriction on the latch member.

2. A knitting machine needle, com rising a hook member and a separate atch member movable bodily and relativel into and out of coperative relation,the sai hook member having its hook end set back from its rear surface and havingl a recess in its front surface adjacent the ook throat, the

said latch memberhaving a recessin its front surface comcldlng with the recess on the front surface of the hook lmember when the latch member is in retracted position whereby the separation of the last formed locp and the freshly fed yarn is insured. n

testimony whereof, We have signed our names to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses. t

Witnesses DUNCAN MGEWAN, DAVID LAVERY. 

